The team was all gathered around Daryn’s laptop. The face on the screen was smiling. “She may have lost the Oscar, but all of Hollywood is buzzing about how she may won the prize anyway.” The still of Saxon Allen twirled and the jazzy iconic theme song buzzed along as the opening graphics flickered.
Wella looked up and then back. “We got time, keep it on.”
“Good morning and welcome to First Hollywood I’m Maria Vasquez.” The anchor smiled in the camera. “Last night was Hollywood’s biggest night, but the talk of the town is Golden Girl, Saxon Allen nominee for Best Actress who may just have snagged the Golden Boy after all.”
The camera switched to footage of Saxon and Ian arm in arm and smiling on the red carpet. “The gorgeous couple, who insisted they are just old friends, laughed and smiled and looked like so much more.”
“Don’t they look…” Daryn sat back and stared.
“Perfect…just perfect…” someone else sighed.
“Saxon Allen, the bubbly bombshell who can’t be stopped at the box office, stepped on to the red carpet with none other than Ian Justyn, the new studio exec making his own meteoric rise. The Hunka Hunka HRT, as he’s been dubbed…”
“Oh, he’s gonna love that.” Wella shook her head.
“All of Hollywood watched the Oscars being handed out, but couldn’t take their eyes off the couple as they laughed, cuddled and danced to their own music all night long.”
Ella looked up, “It’s him….”
Everyone looked up and watched Ian step off the elevator and toward them. Daryn slammed the lid down, and grabbed a steno pad. “Okay, Wella I called over to Fox and they said that they had no idea where that rumor came from. Must be just a rumor.”
“And according to contracts, she isn’t interested in selling the rights yet.” Someone else added.
“Okay, Good.” Wella tried to make it look like they were having an impromptu. “Sean, have you managed to set up a meeting with any of her people?”
“Whose her?” Ian said looking up from his stack of messages.
“Who?”
“Her?”
“Uh…”
“Rosalie Addams.” Sean pulled out of his behind.
“And she would be…?”
“The woman who writes the romance series we thought might be a good fit for the daytime hole.” Daryn piped in.
“Oh.” He turned his attention back to his messages. “Blake did you send those flowers?”
“Yes boss man.”
“Thank you” and with that his door was closed.
Wella whirled around to the team and said quietly but clearly, “Okay who the hell’s Rosalie Addams?”
“I don’t know.” Sean said, “I made it up.” He pointed at the print on her blouse, “Rose”, nodded his head at the brunette on the desk corner, “Lee” and “Damn, that was easier than I thought, hope he buys it.”
Wella looked at Ian’s office door quickly and back. “So far so good. Lee get on the Internet and see if anyone even close to that name has written a romance novel, run down to the store and buy a copy of it, then put on your desk for a few days.”
“Got it.” Lee ran to his desk.
“We’ll pass it around a week or two and then we can loose it.” Ella plotted.
“I’ll read it.” Blake. “I’ll read anything. That ought to do it.”
“Oh and guys?” Ian stuck his head out of his office.
“Yes, Ian?” Wella smiled.
“Showbiz Today got better shots.” Ian closed his door.
Sean looked at the door. “I hate him. I really, really hate him.”
“So do I still find the book?” Lee asked.
“Forget it honey. We’ve been caught, nothing we can do now it sit and wait for pay backs.” Wella said. “I’ll be in my office.”
“Oh God! Nobody move!” Daryn ran to the coatroom screaming, “Get Ian. Get Ian now!”
“What?”
“I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before!” They heard her yell over things being tossed around. She came rushing back out, plastic Barnes & Nobel bag clutched to her chest. “Where’s Ian?”
“Honey, calm down!” Wella insisted.
“No, no, everyone come here!” She went to the desk they had all been gathered around. “Ian!” She yelled.
Ian came out of his office. “Anyone have any idea where the painting in my office came from?”
Wella, “Oh, I forgot to tell you, David Turner had that sent down and hung in your office. Don’t you like it?”
“Ian, I think….” Daryn mumbled.
“It’s beautiful. I just turned around and there it was.” He pointed over his shoulder. “Have you had a good look at it?”
“Ian, excuse me, but…” Daryn tried to interrupt.
“Well, no, it was wrapped in brown paper when they brought it down. Can I pop in and…”
“Damn it!” Daryn stomped her foot. “Listen to me!”
“Chill, Daryn, chill.” Ian looked at her. “Okay, you’ve got our attention…geez…”
“Thank you. Ian I think I’ve solved the problem. It’ll take some work, but…”
“Which problem? Unfortunately right now you have to be specific.”
“Daytime hole…or at least the possibility of it.”
“Okay, Daryn honey,” Wella warned, “Take a deep breath.”
Daryn nodded her head and let out two lungs full of air, then sped on. “My sister’s having knee surgery, so I stopped by the bookstore to get her something to read, so I bought her these…” She dumped two books on the desktop like they were bars of gold.
Ian crinkled his eyes. “So?”
Blake took a look. “Oh I love these! Have you read them?” Blake asked Daryn as he picked one up. “I’m dying for the last one, but it doesn’t come out until this summer!”
“She wanted to just borrow my copies, but I’m not letting them out of my sight, so I…” Daryn admitted.
“Ladies, the book club meets on Wednesday, what are you babbling about?” Ian interrupted.
“Blood Kisses.” They said in excited harmony.
“Excuse me?”
“Well, why didn’t you say so!” Wella said picking up the second book. “Is this number two? I’ve been looking for it for three months. It’s always sold out.”
“I had to special order it...and wait. I was afraid it would be Christmas before I got a copy, but they called this morning and said it was in.” Daryn said.
“Okay, okay, what is it?” Ian asked catching the book Blake tossed to him.
“My turn…” Wella said, “Excuse me? Where have you been? You have never heard of this trilogy?”
“Should I know about Bloody Kisses?”
“Blood Kisses” the whole tam practically corrected him.
“Only the hottest series of books written for adults in the last ten years.”
“Romance…”
“Sex…”
“Oh god the sex…”
“Mystery.”
“Vampires…”
“Oh…” Ian was disappointed. “Another one of those vampire things.”
Blake went into hissy. “Oh no no no no. You cannot and will not dismiss these glorious epics as one of those vampire things.”
“Sorry”, Ian said.
“Uh uh, Ian Grayson Justyn. These make Buffy look like muffin slayer, Dracula look like a shill for marshmallow cereal and Twilight look like a fart after dark. These books, these books have transcended anything previous and everything beyond. They are masterpieces, good old fashioned bodice ripping let me suck the blood out of your neck while we have hot steamy sex trashy masterpieces.”
Ian blinked. “I stand corrected.” He opened up the paper back cover and fanned through the pages. “So they’re good?”
“Perfect. Sales across the board.” Someone piped up. “Teens, college kids, housewives…”
“Old ladies, scifi geeks, horror fans, men….straight, gay absolutely across the board”, someone else finished.
“And?” I asked.
“And we’ll never get them…” Sean said.
“Come on…” Daryn insisted. “There’s a chance. She has turned down every major, but with the final book coming out, maybe now’s the time to strike.”
Sean shook his head. “Buzz is, she just not interested. I know for a fact she’s turned down direct offers from Spielberg, James Cameron and Pedro Almodovar.”
“She’s the one everyone wants.” Wella agreed. “She knows it, and she’s holding out until she gets exactly what she wants.”
“And?” Ian asked.
“And unfortunately nobody knows what that is. She doesn’t return phone calls, she doesn’t take meetings, and doesn’t speak to any one but her editor.” Sean sadly announced.
Ian pointed to the picture in the back of the paperback. “This her?”
Sean leaned over to look. “Yep, that’s her.”
Ian read a moment. “Uh huh…Blake get my neighbor Kellen on the phone please.”
“Okay.” He said looking in his book and picking up his phone. “Do you want me to call your cell first, so we can find it?”
“No. It’s in three pieces in my backpack. Can you work your phone magic on it, please?”
Blake rolled his eyes, double checked the number and punched the buttons.
“Ella…” Ian looked up from the book, “I need a thorough bio on this woman, start here at HRT.”
“HRT?” Daryn asked.
“Says here she got her start writing for “The Best of Everything”. Let’s see if there’s still any kind of connection there.”
“Ian…” Blake handed him his phone.
“Hey, buddy, did we wake you…got a bizarre little shot in the dark for you…your ex-wife Amanda, right…uh huh…you said she’s a writer. Blood Kisses by any chance…you couldn’t persuade her to send me some copies could you…Oh, okay…sure, well thanks…later.”
“No go. Huh?’ Sean smiled.
“Actually, she gave him an advanced copy of number three to give to me, said for him to hint she’d love to chat. Apparently, she’s been after him to introduce us. Blake send someone over to pick up some books from my neighbor, and when Saxon gets here just send her right in.”
Ian tossed the book back to Sean. “Ella I need that bio asap.” He strode toward his office, stopping at the last minute he turned, “And that my friends is why they call he the Hunka Hunka HRT.”
The office door shut.
“I hate him. I really, really hate him.” Sean said.
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